Shoe

ABSTRACT

A shoe and a method of coating a shoe. The method includes assembling the upper on the sole; applying at least one layer of flexible or semi-rigid polymer in liquid state in predetermined areas of the upper; and allowing the polymer to dry. The polymer is applied with a brush or by spraying. Preferably, the polymer is applied so as to straddle the upper and the sole.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is based upon French Patent Application No. 0017127, filed on Dec. 22, 2000, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference thereto in its entirety, and the priority ofwhich is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. § 119.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1.Field of the Invention

[0003] The invention relates to an at least partially reinforced orimpervious shoe adapted for walking or outings.

[0004] 2. Description of Background and Relevant Information

[0005] Various methods are known for making a shoe impervious. Theyinclude, for example, providing an inner liner made of a breathable andimpervious material; but this construction is costly because thebreathable and impervious material is very expensive and all the seamsmust be made impervious by sealing joints added by gluing.

[0006] Another method is to immerse the finished boot into a latex orPVC bath, up to the desired level of imperviousness. This constructionis also expensive to implement, because it requires a very longprocessing time and costly investments.

[0007] In the context of the invention, “impervious” means resistant towater penetration; one may wish this resistance to be more or lesssubstantial depending on the use intended for the shoe.

[0008] For outing or walking shoes, it is also desired that the upper bereinforced against substantial abrasion effects which are caused, forexample, by the presence of stones, rocks, etc. This is true even if theupper is made out of a thick and presumably resistant material such asleather, or reinforced textile known by the commercial name “Cordura.”

[0009] For lighter shoes for sports, leisure, or racing in themountains, which are made of ventilated materials, this problem ofresistance to abrasion is even more crucial. The shoes are used, forexample, for racing in the mountains during sporting events called“raids,” and are designed primarily to enable a goodaeration/ventilation of the foot. They are generally made out ofventilated materials of the mesh/net type commonly called “mesh” for agood ventilation.

[0010] However, materials of this type are particularly fragile and notresistant to wear due, in particular, to abrasion. These materials alsohave the disadvantage of being very flexible and of inadequatelyretaining the foot.

[0011] Therefore, for this type of shoes using mesh-type materials, oneseeks to reinforce the strength and resistance to wear/abrasion.

[0012] For these same materials, one also seeks to improve theresistance to the penetration of water or dirt (stones, dust, sand,etc.), without negatively affecting the breathability/ventilation of theshoe.

[0013] Finally, one desires to reinforce the shoes, while making itpossible to preserve, or even to improve the aesthetic aspect thereof,which is not the case with the known sealing methods where the shoe isimmersed in a latex of PVC bath, and, as a result, has a straight andunaesthetic parting line between the reinforcing material and theremainder of the upper.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An object of the present invention is to remedy theaforementioned disadvantage. To this end, type invention proposes a newmethod for coating a shoe of the the having an upper and a sole,including the following:

[0015] assembling the upper on the sole;

[0016] applying at least one layer of flexible or semi-rigid polymer inliquid state in predetermined areas of the upper;

[0017] drying.

[0018] Such a coating method is particularly flexible to implement anddoes not require any complicated equipment such as a bath, because thepolymer is applied as a layer on the assembled shoe, either with a brushor by spraying.

[0019] It allows for decorative effects, since the polymer layer(s) canbe applied exactly in the desired areas, and it makes it possible toavoid the straight lines resulting from the immersion coating methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] The invention will be better understood and other characteristicsthereof will become apparent from the description that follows, withreference to the annexed schematic drawings, in which:

[0021]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe obtained by means of themethod according to the invention, according to a first embodiment;

[0022]FIG. 2 is a detailed view of FIG. 1;

[0023]FIG. 3 is a side view of a shoe according to a second embodiment;

[0024]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Similarly, quantities of rubber, graphite, dye, glass fiber,etc., can be added to the polymer to improve adherence, abrasionresistance, the aesthetic aspect.

[0026] As the polymer layer is applied on the assembled shoe with abrush or by spraying, all of the aesthetic effects on the shoe, such aswaviness, etc., can be obtained.

[0027] Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the layer 3 rises towardthe front of the shoe along a curved line 3 a, and toward the rear ofthe shoe along a curved line 3 b .

[0028] This application method especially has the important advantage ofavoiding the horizontal straight line effects resulting from anapplication by immersion in a bath, and therefore enables a markedlyimproved aesthetic effect.

[0029] The layer 3 can be applied on the shoe upper in predeterminedareas to increase adherence, imperviousness, abrasion resistance, or toobtain a particular aesthetic effect.

[0030] According to a preferred embodiment, the polymer layer 3 isperipherally applied on the shoe in the form of a strip, simultaneouslystraddling the upper 1 and the outer sole 2.

[0031] Thus, as shown more particularly in FIG. 2, the polymer strip 3covers the junction line 4 between the upper 1 and the sole 2, andextends on both sides of this line 4 on both the upper 1 and the sole 2.As a result, the polymer strip 3 makes it possible to guarantee aperfect sealing of the upper/sole junction. It can be applied more orless high on the upper depending on the degree of imperviousness desiredfor the shoe.

[0032] Depending on the desired aesthetic effect, the polymer strip 3 isapplied on the shoe after hiding, with appropriate covers, the zonesthat one does not wish to be coated. This makes it possible to have aclean demarcation between the covered zones and the uncovered zones, If,conversely, one wishes to have a faded effect between the covered zonesand the uncovered zones, the covers are eliminated.

[0033]FIG. 3 shows another embodiment in which the polymer layer 3 isapplied on a very ventilated material of the upper 1, such as a mesh. Amesh is used to make ventilated, very lightweight shoes; thedisadvantage of this type of material, obtained by knitting, is that itis very fragile and sensitive to abrasion.

[0034] It is surprisingly noted that a polymer layer applied on themeshed textile material considerably improves the abrasion resistance ofthis material, without preventing air from passing through, andtherefore preserving the breathability of the material.

[0035] Preferably, the mesh used is a so-called tri-dimensional mesh,i.e., a material constituted, as shown in FIG. 4, of two parallel sidesor laps 11, 12, of fabric connected together and kept at a distance fromone another by a median layer of fibers 13 extending essentiallyperpendicular to the plane constituted by each of these sides anddefining an elastically compressible air space between these two sides11, 12. Such a tri-dimensional textile material is generally made duringthe same manufacturing step. It can also be constituted by means of twolaps of fabric obtained separately, and connected subsequently by aventilated layer along its thickness.

[0036] The two sides 11, 12 are preferably constituted by laps of meshedfabric or jersey; they can also be constituted by laps of woven ornonwoven fibers.

[0037] In the case of a tri-dimensional meshed material 10, the polymerlayer 3 is applied on the outer side 11 and therefore improves the wearresistance thereof, without hindering the passage of air A through theinner side 12 and the lap of fibers 13 (see arrows A).

[0038] In the present case, the outer side 11 of the fabric 10 can evenbe made completely watertight by applying a polymer layer of sufficientthickness, without limiting the breathability since air can escape bythe median layer 13 (see arrows A).

[0039] In any event, the polymer layer 3 at least partially renders thefabric impervious, and particularly “impervious” to the penetration ofstones, sand.

[0040] The coating of the polymer 3 does not stop necessarily to thefirst side 11, depending in particular on the viscosity of the polymer 3and the size of the holes of the mesh constituting this first side.

[0041] Depending on the more or less substantial penetration of thepolymer inside the tri-dimensional material, this material will be moreor less watertight.

[0042] According to a preferred embodiment, the meshed material of theouter side 11 has small holes to ensure that the polymer coating doesnot penetrate too far into the fabric. In this case, the inner side 12is advantageously made of a meshed fabric with large holes to promoteventilation.

[0043] Preferably, as in the previous example of embodiment, the polymerlayer is applied so as to straddle the junction line 4 between the sole2 and the upper 1.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the embodiment describedhereinabove by way of a non-limiting example, but encompasses allsimilar or equivalent embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of coating a shoe comprising an upper and a sole, said method comprising: assembling the upper on the sole; applying at least one layer of flexible or semi-rigid polymer in a liquid state in predetermined areas of the upper; drying.
 2. A method of coating a shoe according to claim 1, wherein said applying of the polymer comprises applying the polymer with a brush.
 3. A method of coating according to claim 1, wherein said applying of the polymer comprises applying the polymer by spraying.
 4. A method of coating according to claim 1, wherein said applying the polymer comprises applying the polymer so as to straddle the upper and the sole.
 5. A method of coating according to claim 1, further comprising diluting the polymer in a solvent.
 6. A method of coating according to claim 1, further comprising liquefying the polymer by heating.
 7. A method of coating according to claim 1, wherein the polymer comprises one of the following polymers: latex, polyurethane, PVC, silicone, polyamide, synthetic rubber, thermoplastic-base impact polystyrene.
 8. A shoe comprising: an upper and an outer sole, said upper being assembled on said sole; at least one layer of flexible or semi-rigid polymer applied in a liquid state to coat predetermined areas of the upper, whereafter said polymer is allowed to dry.
 9. A shoe according to claim 8, wherein the polymer layer comprises a strip applied to said upper and said outer sole to simultaneously straddle said upper and said outer sole.
 10. A shoe according to claim 9, wherein the polymer comprises one of the following polymers: latex, poyurethane, PVC, silicone, polyamide, synthetic rubber, thermoplastic-base impact polystyrene.
 11. A shoe according to claim 10, wherein the upper comprises a mesh material.
 12. A shoe according to claim 11, wherein the upper comprises a tridimensional-type mesh material. 